About Hussein
Hussein was born in Alexandria, Egypt, where his age-old love of food, catering and cooking classes first began. He grew up in a fishing village called Hurghada on the shores of the Red Sea.
Learning about Hussein, we hear a little about his life and the things that left a lasting impact on his career as a chef.
Childhood
“I was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and grew up in a place called Hurghada on the shore of the Red Sea. It was a fishing village, and if my Mother decided we were having fish today, she would tell me to go and take a line and actually catch the fish. I stood knee-deep in the water, cast out my line and would always came back with some fish …. guaranteed! But we are talking the 70’s, now you would be lucky to get even a bite from the deepest parts of the Red Sea.”
My Surname
“My surname, El Weshahy comes from the word Weshah, which means a medal that somebody who has been fighting in the war receives.”
My Mother’s Inspirations
“Most of my cooking is actually based on my Mother’s inspirations. I always mentally go back to what she used to cook. She used to do the spices every Friday – only Friday – when she used to toast all the spice. As you walked down the street, you could tell she was toasting the spices. You could always smell them as you were approaching the house.“
Simple Basic Food
“You know, I always go back in time to the simple basic food my Mother used to make, and the spices she used to use. I always remember it.
Especially when I cook the best Middle-Eastern food, I always see her standing in front of me saying use this, and you do that, and you don’t do it this way you do it that way, and she would give me all that advice. It was very, very simple yet so effective and with minimal equipment.
She had one single little kerosene burner and she used to cook a 3-course meal with that for 10 people, every day! Even with all the equipment some people have these days, they can’t even make a fried egg.”
Nobody’s Perfect!
“My Mother’s food used to be unbelievably good 99% of the time. Sometimes she would be in a bad mood, and the food was definitely edible, but just a shade off perfection, and I would ask her, ‘What happened to the food today?’, and she would say ‘Just eat it and be quiet’ … not in a nasty way… Everyone has an off day here and there … though it wasn’t often for her.”
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